Why Is My Chihuahua Wheezing and Grunting?

Sometimes Chihuahuas can make sounds that are quite unusual for dogs. It can be grunting, snoring, coughing. Let’s find out what can provoke such phenomena.

Why Can a Chihuahua Grunt or Cough?

In fact, what is called grunting is wheezing. It can be provoked by:

• emotional overexcitement;
• neck injury with a leash;
• physical activity;
• stress;
• inhalation of irritating odors.

In addition, wheezing or coughing is a physiological feature of the breed. The fact is that Chihuahuas have a special structure of the larynx and palate. At the slightest stress, the muscles of the palate can reflexively tone up, due to which saliva enters the larynx and provokes a collapse of the trachea. In other words, when saliva enters it, the larynx reflexively narrows. At the same time, the dog begins to wheeze, it becomes difficult to breathe. The neck is extended, the paws are widely spaced. The dog may appear to be choking.

In addition, these dogs snore quite often in their sleep. From the outside, it looks like a grunt. If you don’t hear gurgling or groans at these moments, then there is nothing to worry about. If they are present, the owner needs to be wary.

What Should I Do When My Chihuahua Wheezing and Coughing?

Grunting or wheezing is not a specific treatment. You can take the dog in your arms, try to calm and distract it. It will be useful to rub the pet’s nose in the area of the bridge of the nose, open the mouth. The main thing is not to show any concern at the same time.

You should take your pet to the veterinarian if you have such symptoms:

The attacks last longer than two minutes. If breathing doesn’t come back to normal for too long, it could be a sign of a heart problem.

Wheezing is accompanied by cough, nasal discharge. Perhaps the pet has picked up an infection or a virus is hypothermic.

Loss of consciousness. May indicate the development of life-threatening diseases. These include heat stroke, vasospasm, epileptic seizure.

If you have one of these symptoms, your dog should be seen by a doctor. The specialist will be able to determine the exact nature of the problem and select ways to eliminate it.